Why your tomatoes won’t turn red in the heat — and when you should pick them
Stop waiting for your tomatoes to turn red in a heatwave — here’s when you should pick them.
This summer has been unusually hot and dry, with little rainfall. Parched lawns and yard are a common sight, and gardeners like the narrator are aware of which plants are more resilient to heat and drought. Tomato plants, in particular, are showing their response to these conditions. Where they typically turn red as they ripen, they are now stuck in between colors.
The gardener has been consistent with watering, avoiding both underwatering and overwatering. However, there's an uncontrollable factor at play: extreme temperatures.
Holly from the Garden Tendencies Instagram channel explains that when temperatures exceed 85°F (29.4°C), tomato plants cease producing the pigment that gives fruit its red color. As a result, the tomatoes remain full-sized but stay between green and orange, failing to complete the color change. Despite the temptation to hold off on harvesting, Holly advises picking tomatoes at first sign of any color, and allowing them to finish ripening indoors.
High temperatures around 85°F to 90°F (29.4°C to 32.2°C) halt the production of red and yellow pigments (lycopene and carotene), essential for the ripening process. If such heat persists, the fruit may have some color externally but remain green internally. Bonnie Plants recommends picking any tomatoes displaying hints of ripe color and letting them finish ripening indoors.
The taste difference between vine-ripened and picked-at-first-blush tomatoes is less than 1%, so the gardener won't notice a significant change in flavor.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Guide's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
